Students from the Lopez Studios, Inc. Performing Arts School in Reston competed in the 2017 iTheatrics Junior Theater Festival this weekend, Jan. 13-15, in Atlanta, Ga.

The students won the Freddie G Award for Excellence in Ensemble Work and student choreographer Kendyl Florence won an individual Excellence in Student Choreography award.

Groups participating in the festival had to perform a 15-minute selection of a musical for a panel of theater professionals. The 23 students, ages 7 to 15, representing Lopez Studios performed their selection from “Shrek the Musical JR.”

The musical is based on the Oscar-winning DreamWorks film and follows an ogre named Shrek whose peaceful swamp is disturbed by fairytale misfits who have been banished by the villainous Lord Farquaad.

This is the school’s fourth year competing in the festival and the kids began rehearsing in September, says Michael Fowle, conservatory program director.

Lopez Studios has come home with awards in previous years of the Junior Theater Festival, including winning the Freddie G Award for Excellence in Ensemble Work in 2016; the Freddie G Excellence in Dance Group award in 2014; and an individual Freddie G Outstanding Student Director and Choreographer award for student Kendyl Florence.

“I was really proud of the excellence in ensemble work because it means they worked together as a team,” says Fowle. “We’re just happy to be down there and for them to do their best.”

Lopez Studios will be performing the full version of “Shrek the Musical JR” at the NextStop Theatre in Herndon from Thursday, March 16, to Saturday, March 18.